By RYAN WALKER
The Norwell girls’ golf team won its final regular season match of the year with the sectional in the driver’s seat on Friday.
The Knights shot a 178 in the victory over South Adams (226) and Bishop Luers (236) at Timber Ridge Golf Course on Wednesday.
Head coach Mike Niermeyer wanted his team, especially his seniors, to soak in the last home match.
“We played solid,” Niermeyer said after the match. “The girls played well. We had a 178, I’m happy with that.”
The trio of schools have scheduled this match in particular every season, as Timber Ridge is the usual site for the sectional. But this season, the location has moved to Chestnut Hills in Fort Wayne, hosted by Homestead High School.
The course will have a different feel for the team that’s accustomed to having it in their own backyard. To prepare, Niermeyer will be taking his group for a nine-hole practice round on Thursday after school while doing team bonding and dinner.
“We just have to mentally be prepared,” Niermeyer said. “Before, the sectional has always been here. So, the home course advantage we’ve had, but now we’re going to a bigger course, a longer course. Just mentally, we have to get ready to go over there. They’re playing something not as familiar with (Timber Ridge).”
Per usual, Norwell will be one of the favorites to get out of the sectional and advance to the regional meet. The Knights have played against or have seen most of the field to compare scores with and are confident in their standing.
The team has had a great season, but to win the sectional will be a steep hill to climb. Last year, the Homestead Spartans topped Norwell at Timber Ridge by 87 strokes and finished the season fourth at the state meet. This year, they might be even better with a No. 2 overall ranking according to the IHSGCA.
Regardless, Niermeyer said that the team is pumped to get out on the course and try and qualify for another regional meet.
“Confidence is there,” Niermeyer said. “You have Homestead. Homestead, what can you say? The girls are going into it with good attitudes and are looking forward to it. They’ve played the course before, so they’re not unfamiliar with it.”
Niermeyer admitted that this year’s team has better scores on average than last year. The key difference is the depth with returning varsity members Anna Dodane, Ellie Gatton, and Emmy Heaston. Nevada Lenwell and Emma Dodane had varsity experience last season and have played up for a few matches, and sophomore Savanna Simerman has made her mark in her first year on varsity as a solid back-end of the lineup scorer.
The starting five that played Wednesday will be the same for the sectional unless one of the girls is unable to go. The five were Anna Dodane, Gatton, Heaston, Simerman, and Lenwell.
Even with the returning cast, the Knights aren’t taking the meet for granted, as anything can happen.
“On any given day, who knows what they’ll shoot — it’s golf,” Niermeyer said.
The sectional will begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 14. The Knights are slated to tee off at 10:50 a.m.
Individual results
Anna Dodane was the medalist with a score of 42, followed by Ellie Gatton and Savanna Simerman (44), Emmy Heaston (48), and Nevada Lenwell (54).
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